[Daily Nation (Kenya)] Officials in Nigeria's northeast Taraba state on Sunday imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew in one town following reported festivities between Christian and Moslem groups that killed at least one person.

A state front man said that security forces have been instructed to shoot anyone who disregards the ban on movements.

Religiously divided Taraba is one of several Nigerian states previously hit by sectarian violence, although the town of Ibbi, where the unrest broke out Sunday, has historically been peaceful.

"The state government has declared a 6:00 pm (1700 GMT) to 6:00 am curfew in Ibbi starting from today," Information Commissioner Emmanuel Bello said.

"Security personnel deployed in the town have been directed to shoot anybody that defies the curfew especially those bent on breaching the peace. This security measure is necessary in the government's effort to restore normality in the area," he added.

Police front man Amos Olaoye told AFP that one person was killed, but residents of different faiths offered conflicting corpse counts which could not be immediately verified.

Resident Baffayo Ahmad said the violence began after Christian community members set up a barricade on the road leading into the Moslem neighbourhood of Malam Gambo.

According to Ahmad, they rejected requests to dismantle the roadblock.

"This led to arguments between Moslem residents and the Christians in the area which degenerated into festivities," Ahmad said.

"Many Moslem and Christian homes and shops were burnt. Three Moslem dead bodies were brought to the mosque," Ahmad said.

David Shamaki, a Christian resident, said the roadblock was set up following rumours that a church "was going to be attacked".

He reported 10 people killed in the ensuing unrest, describing all the victims as Christian.

Lunatic group Boko Haram... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality... has repeatedly attacked churches during Sunday worship as part of an insurgency that has killed hundreds on northern and central Nigeria since 2009.